# otakudom (aka anime geeks.)



## Automata heart (Nov 12, 2009)

hello. because I count myself as an otaku (mostly because anime is all I think about now days...) I want to know what you think of us. do we anoy you, irritate you of are you one of us?
thank you very muchly.


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## spaekle (Nov 12, 2009)

As an anime fan myself, I think referring to yourself as an "otaku" raises your "annoying weeaboo" quota by like 50%. 

I like anime, but I don't like it _just because_ it's anime.


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## Dewgong (Nov 12, 2009)

i like some anime as well, but not because it's from japan, or as spaekle said, because it's anime.

i think otakus are extremely annoying, especially if somebody actually proclaims that they are one. otaku is not a good thing. in fact, a lot of people in japan look down on otakus. 

i don't mind the casual anime fan though.


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## ultraviolet (Nov 12, 2009)

I can honestly say that when you start calling yourself names that other people use to make fun of you it makes yourself look fairly annoying, yeah. Liking anime because it's anime is silly; especially because many 'otakus' I know don't explore art and discover that most of the things that make anime what it is (other than art style) are fairly common in other forms of art. :|


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## Minish (Nov 12, 2009)

I don't find otaku annoying all that much. Liking anime just because it's anime is only bad when that's the _only_ reason you carry on doing so. I look for new manga to read all the time, because I like the style, I like reading something written from another culture's viewpoint, I like Japanese humour. I prefer not to watch anime because it takes too much time -- I can read a few pages of a manga online every once in a while, for example. Someone who would watch anime anyway because it makes them feel all special for watching something Japanese... that would probably maybe lower my opinion of them, but it wouldn't really annoy me. I think most people on the internet go through a 'Japanese stuff is all awesome' phase whether or not they keep thinking that forever.

It does annoy me when people put Japanese in their signature or whatever, like lyrics, with their only reasoning being 'it looks pretty!'. Those people just use Japanese to look like a special snowflake. Seriously, if you like the lyrics, just put the lyrics there in a language we can all read rather than including _both_ or even worse, only Japanese.

Oh yeah, the type of otaku that annoys me is the one that uses Japanese randomly, and acts like they can 'speak another language'. No, you idiot. That's like saying you can speak French when all you did was study it in school for a few years. I don't even mean the 'omg kawaii' people, they're at least tolerable, it's the people who pretend they actually _know_ a lot of Japanese when in reality they don't know a single kanji character.

...um yeah long post ahoy. I... should probably stop doing that.


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## Storm Earth and Fire (Nov 12, 2009)

It's all about context. There are times when it's safe to use the word otaku in a more positive light, like when talking with weeaboos. And times when it's not a good idea, like when one is in Japan. The term more or less means different things in English and Japanese.

That said, I really am one of you. I love anime and visual novels, and like manga a lot too. I've got two wallscrolls, a few posters, and generally plaster anime girls wherever I can. I don't toss the term around very often, but I do go moe. And I need more money for figures and body pillows.

Weeaboos are rather annoying, though.


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 12, 2009)

> do we anoy you, irritate you of are you one of us?


you infuriate me beyond words.

using 'otaku' to describe oneself in any sense other than irony is moronic. the implications of the word in Japan aren't exactly positive. :

anyway, I admit to being somewhat of a fan. what attracts me to anime is that it caters to the sort of interests that seem to be either non-existent or incredibly rare in the West (i.e. steampunk, giant robots, etc.). as far as I know, there are very few Western parallels to shows like Gundam or Last Exile.

there's also other small things that I like about anime, such as its relatively short series' length (26 episodes seems to be a common standard, at least for series other than immortal shonen crap like Naruto and Bleach which NEVER DIES) and the fact that you rarely seem to get more than one or two series (at least, within one continuity; massive franchises like Gundam will still have dozens of series but they're usually self-contained and often bear no relation to other continuities).

the thing to remember is that anime is not all the culture there is. sure, proclaim that it can be a viable art form (and I'm not arguing against that), but you're still missing out on a lot if you're not also exposed to Western literature, cinema, music or theatre.


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## Dannichu (Nov 12, 2009)

I don't care _why_ someone likes something. If it's making them happy and not hurting/bothering anyone else, I really don't mind. It's none of my business, anyway. :/


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## Minish (Nov 12, 2009)

goldenquagsire said:


> using 'otaku' to describe oneself in any sense other than irony is moronic. the implications of the word in Japan aren't exactly positive. :


But we're talking about the loanword, not the actual Japanese usage, just like how in Japan the word 'manga' can be used for both anime and manga.


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 12, 2009)

Cirrus said:


> But we're talking about the loanword, not the actual Japanese usage, just like how in Japan the word 'manga' can be used for both anime and manga.


it's still fairly stupid!

besides, it just feels rather pretentious. loan words are appropriate when they describe something that hasn't already got a proper word for it in the other language. thus why the use of _je ne sais quoi_ is justified (though for some reason the phrase irritates me, but that's a different argument).

otaku is just a different way of saying "nerd", "geek", "fanboy" and so on. except it has absolutely horrible connotations in its original language. :/


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## Dewgong (Nov 13, 2009)

goldenquagsire said:


> immortal shonen crap like Naruto and Bleach which NEVER DIES)


you have no idea how much i wish naruto and bleach would end already.


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## Tailsy (Nov 13, 2009)

goldenquagsire said:


> it's still fairly stupid!
> 
> besides, it just feels rather pretentious. loan words are appropriate when they describe something that hasn't already got a proper word for it in the other language. thus why the use of _je ne sais quoi_ is justified (though for some reason the phrase irritates me, but that's a different argument).
> 
> otaku is just a different way of saying "nerd", "geek", "fanboy" and so on. except it has absolutely horrible connotations in its original language. :/


Why is the usage of _je ne sais quoi_ justified? 'I don't know what' or 'A certain something' is perfectly translatable into English.


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## foreign contaminant (Nov 14, 2009)

i don't really consider myself a fan of anime, but it's entertainment. if i like it, i like it. i like neon genesis evangelion a lot, particularly.


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## Ice tiger (Nov 14, 2009)

Well, I like anime, I watch it, and I read manga. 
But I am _far_ from being obsessed, obsessing over things isn't healthy. 
But err 'otaku' don't bother me, although using random Japanese words can get annoying >.> Unless it's 'Kawaii', it sounds cuter than 'cute' :V


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## M&F (Nov 14, 2009)

Ice tiger said:


> Unless it's 'Kawaii', it sounds cuter than 'cute' :V


It doesn't.

And, if my foggy memories of whatever useless Japanese knowledge I picked up aren't failing me, "kawaii" is easily one of the most widely misused terms from the language.


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 14, 2009)

Tailsy said:


> Why is the usage of _je ne sais quoi_ justified? 'I don't know what' or 'A certain something' is perfectly translatable into English.


As far as I know, the English translation isn't in common usage. Many alternative words for otaku are in common usage. Furthermore, _je ne sais quoi_ doesn't have horribly negative connotations in the original French.


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## hopeandjoy (Nov 14, 2009)

"Kawaii" is more like being child-like than "cute". It means cute, yes, but it's a... Different kind of cute. It's hard to explain.


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## Momoharu (Nov 14, 2009)

I like anime, but I don't get why people are always hating on Naruto, Bleach and One Piece =/

They're great manga/anime with a good storyline.


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 14, 2009)

Momoharu said:


> I like anime, but I don't get why people are always hating on Naruto, Bleach and One Piece =/
> 
> They're great manga/anime with a good storyline.


Naruto has a crap storyline. It has annoying, intensely dislikeable characters. Its fans are some of the most annoying people on the internet. Bleach has slightly less annoying characters but the ridiculous plot armour on certain characters and the endlessly repeating storyline is boring.

I know that one shouldn't expect too much of shonen, but when you've got stuff like Soul Eater around, there's no excuse for lacklustre series like Bleach and Naruto.

One Piece is apparently alright but I've never seen it and don't know enough about it to comment.


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## Tailsy (Nov 15, 2009)

goldenquagsire said:


> As far as I know, the English translation isn't in common usage. Many alternative words for otaku are in common usage. Furthermore, _je ne sais quoi_ doesn't have horribly negative connotations in the original French.


Uh, yeah, it is. I hear people say 'a certain something... that I can't put my finger on' far more than they would say 'je ne sais quoi'. Unless they feel like sounding douchey. It might not have a negative connotation in _la belle langue_, but...

I actually agree with you on 'otaku'.


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## ultraviolet (Nov 15, 2009)

Naruto reminds me strongly of the Pokemon anime, only there's no pokemon. 

I can't stand the writing, it's horrible. :c


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 15, 2009)

Tailsy said:


> Uh, yeah, it is. I hear people say 'a certain something... that I can't put my finger on' far more than they would say 'je ne sais quoi'. Unless they feel like sounding douchey. It might not have a negative connotation in _la belle langue_, but...
> 
> I actually agree with you on 'otaku'.


So it's just a case of you being picky about my analogy.

*:|*


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## Minish (Nov 15, 2009)

But the loanword 'otaku' doesn't mean the same thing as geek, nerd etc. The original does, yeah, but since people have already started using it as meaning a reclaimed word for obsessive anime/manga fans, there's no real reason why it's dumb to use it now, that's just how languages develop. The same thing goes with 'tsunami', which as far as I know is just the Japanese word for a tidal wave, but nobody ever complains about that...


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## Tailsy (Nov 24, 2009)

goldenquagsire said:


> So it's just a case of you being picky about my analogy.
> 
> *:|*


Well, it is _wrong_.


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 24, 2009)

Tailsy said:


> Well, it is _wrong_.


urgh and this is what I dislike about TCoD in a nutshell

even if a person agrees with your point of view, they'll still pick holes in it without offering an alternative argument that still backs up the original point of view.

:|


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## Tailsy (Nov 25, 2009)

goldenquagsire said:


> urgh and this is what I dislike about TCoD in a nutshell
> 
> even if a person agrees with your point of view, they'll still pick holes in it without offering an alternative argument that still backs up the original point of view.
> 
> :|


*tiny violin*


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## Tarvos (Nov 25, 2009)

can people stop with the weaboo crap already


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## nothing to see here (Dec 1, 2009)

Not going to even attempt to read through the rest of this thread, but I have to say I've never liked it when people use the word "otaku" to refer to "anime geeks."

Partly because I don't understand why so many people like to label themselves with some random term just because of _one_ interest they have... partly because using random words from another language for no good reason is kinda annoying... and partly because "otaku" means something more along the lines of "30-year-old basement-dwelling 4chan user" instead of just "anime geek," so when people use it to describe _themselves_ it makes them look kinda like those people who got tattoos saying "Crazy Diarrhea" in kanji just because they thought the symbols looked pretty.

Of course, "otaku" isn't the _worst_ word the Internet has come up with to describe the "anime geeks."  That prize goes to "weeaboo." "Otaku" is just mildly annoying... but I want to slap someone in the face with a brick every time I see "weeaboo."


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## Erif (Dec 2, 2009)

I can't tell if this is an anime discussion thread and a debate over someone is otaku or not. It seems like the latter.

I like anime. End of story.


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## idk my bff stza (Dec 7, 2009)

Spaekle Oddberry said:


> As an anime fan myself, I think referring to yourself as an "otaku" raises your "annoying weeaboo" quota by like 50%.
> 
> I like anime, but I don't like it _just because_ it's anime.


This x100


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